GuinnessTM Officials Respond to Record Attempt Submission

October 11, 2013

It’s official! GuinnessTM World Record executives have declared that the world record for the Largest Practical Science Lesson belongs to Iowa Lakes Community College, the Northwest Iowa Regional STEM Hub, the Clay County Fair and those who participated in the event.

The confirmation came much earlier than anticipated.

“When Guinness received the documentation required to process our attempt, they emailed stating it could be ‘up to 12 weeks’ before we would know anything,” commented Trish Morfitt, Iowa Lakes writing and marketing/media assistant, and the coordinator of the documentation materials. “So you can imagine my surprise when just a few days later another email came in from them. I was certain – since it was such a quick reply – that we had failed to meet the requirements, but was quite literally shouting with excitement when I saw the greeting - ‘You are OFFICIALLY AMAZING.’!”

The record-breaking event, which took place on Sept. 14, during the Clay County Fair, hosted 771 people who participated in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics related lecture, demonstrations, and two experiments all showing the “Power of Air.”

“Putting on an educational event like we did, with the number of people required both to participate and behind the scenes, is no easy production,” commented Kari Webb, Northwest Iowa Regional STEM Hub Manager. “It took an army of volunteers including Iowa Lakes staff, professors and students, local citizens, and of course assistance and access to a venue large enough to handle the crowd, thanks to Jeremy Parsons, Rebecca Peters, and the staff at the Clay County Fair.”

Official certificates recognizing the record will arrive soon.

“Iowa Lakes’ partnership with the Governor’s STEM Initiative helps fulfill our commitment to advancing tomorrow’s workforce through STEM related education,” said Iowa Lakes Community College President Valerie Newhouse. “The College is very fortunate to have such dedicated professors and employees, who put in the time and effort to make this record happen. And, we’re lucky to be in a region where our communities also support these efforts.”

The ‘world record’ event was the ‘theme’ for the day at the Clay County Fair on Saturday, Sept. 14.

“We were happy to partner with Iowa Lakes and the STEM Hub on this record,” stated Jeremy Parsons, Clay County Fair Manager. “We look forward to what the future might bring that we can join forces on again.”